Sign post in dry crumbly soil

I need to erect a sign post where I have it all ready but a neighbor said I should use concrete.

I was just going to hammer it in by using a step ladder and long handled mallet.

Here is a picture of the sign post which is u shaped heavy steel

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The soil is hard to describe. It's dry and mostly fine grained. Bigger grains than sand. Smaller grains than pebbles.

Winds can get to a good speed. Other than winds, I'm not sure what else will knock it down.

I never put a sign in the ground before. I never used concrete either.

How deep should it go?

There is a half bag of dry concrete mortar in the basement along with all the paint buckets and other materials that came with the house from the previous owner long ago (fifteen years).

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How deep would you hammer it in if you were to hammer it in? If you concrete it, what's the SIMPLEST CHEAPEST way?

Reply to
Miroslav Svoboda
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At least 2 feet. Others who know more may say more.

At least 2 feet. Others who know more may say more. Put a block of wood on top of it before hammering, to not mess it up.

I don't know much about mortar mix so 'm not sure what's in your bag, whether it has to be mixed with sand or anything -- maybe not -- and if it got wet during all this time, it might have hardened (or gotten ruined without hardening??) But I've had stuff in my basement for a few years that was still good. If it something can last 4 years, it can last 15, in my opinion.

I actually did spend a few days putting in posts, and the guys who started before me used Redi-Crete, or some other dry, premixed powder to which you just add water. But they found to save time, they'd dig the hole, pound the post in below the bottom of the hole, pour in the redi-crete and leave it. We were nowhere near plumbing and they'd use the moisture in the soil to harden the concrete. They'd been doing this on weekends for weeks and it worked. I drive by some of these posts and they are still standing 20 or 25 years later.

Reply to
micky

In & micky :

Reply to
Miroslav Svoboda

Frost matters.

Reply to
hubops

We set 4x4 posts to mount fairly heavy electrical panels. We generally dig down at least three feet. We put the post where we want it, pour some premixed dry concrete around the post and tamp the concrete. No need to use water. The posts hold and the concrete gradually absorbs water from the surrounding soil.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

On Wed 26 Sep 2018 02:22:27p, Miroslav Svoboda told us...

I wouldn't even try to just hammer it in.

How long is the post?

We live in the dessert with sandy grainy soil. We installed a 15 ft. flagpole by digging a hole aut 3 ft. deep and about 10 inches across. We installed it by pouring 6 inch layers of quick drying concrete, ech layer followed by a thorough drenching of water, until we reached the top. We moved from there about 8 years ago, but the flagpole is still set rock hard in the concrete. A good portion of the pole was

3 inches in diameter, then graduating down to a smaller diameter.
Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

In & Wayne Boatwright :

I just measured it. It is six feet zero inches long.

Reply to
Miroslav Svoboda

On Wed 26 Sep 2018 06:31:58p, Miroslav Svoboda told us...

I would think you'd need to budy at least 2 feet of it in the concrete, to give it adequate stability, or certainly at least 18 inches.

Reply to
Wayne Boatwright

Decide how much you want to stick out of the ground. The post looks too light weight to pound in the ground.

I would dig a hole with some post hold diggers. Maybe 18 to 24 inches deep unless you want less to stick out of the ground. Get a bag of ready mix for about $ 3 at the store. Put the post in the hole, fill it about half full of the ready mix and toss in a little water. Fill the how full of ready mix and put in a little more water. Done. You may want to put a couple of ropes on the post to guy it for a day or two if there is a lot of wind.

Do not use very much water,and you can even get by with out any as the moisture in the ground will be sucked into the ready mix and it will cure (harden) from that.

There is no need to mix it up bofore putting it in the hole.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

YOu don't show what's on the sign, but if it's telling people to do something they don't want to do, it would probably help if it's those 6 inches higher. It will remind them of their father instead of their little brother.

If it ever falls down, you can put it up again differently.

Reply to
micky

If there's only one post, how did you get a picture of both ends at the saem time?

Reply to
micky

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